La Fontaine Park, Montreal

Located at the eastern edge of the Plateau Mont-Royal, this park consists of about 40 hectares (100 acres) in all. It serves as site for one of the official rites of spring, with people flocking to it the moment they sense warmer weather approaching. You can relax under the trees, picnic, sunbathe, bike, or play tennis. There is an outdoor theater in the summer, and in the winter the pond becomes a skating rink. Several monuments adorn the park, including one commemorating the sacrifice of French-Canadians who died during the course of the World Wars.